EXPRESS SURVIVE GRIZZLIES ATTACK IN OPENER

The spandex-wearing, crowd-entertaining Green Men of Vancouver will play a huge role in the Victoria Grizzlies’ home-opener next Friday.

In the meantime, the B.C. Hockey League club’s regular-season opener at the Showcase tournament at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack on Friday left new general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick feeling a little blue. But at least he wasn’t seeing red.

A tough 1-0 overtime loss to the Coquitlam Express will do that to you, especially after out-shooting the opponent 40-27.

“I thought we played well enough to win,” said Bestwick. “I think a tie would have been a fair result in this case.”

Brady Shaw provided the lone goal for Coquitlam, on a breakaway in which Victoria goalie Brady Rouleau — who was named the game’s third star — made the initial stop, but couldn’t halt the rebound.

“Our line change was bad, we didn’t get a forward out to the middle of the ice to cut off that 100-foot pass,” said Bestwick.

Both teams went 0-for-5 on the power play.

The Grizzlies are back at it today at 11:30 a.m. against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in their second game of the BCHL Showcase. Alberni lost its opener Friday, 7-3 to Langley.

As for Vancouver’s Green Men, the duo will bring their antics to Bear Mountain Arena and, no doubt, get under the skin of Powell River Kings players and coaches. They will arrive in the afternoon and spend the day touring Victoria sites until game time.